InTouch Games has UK licence suspended by Gambling Commission
Operator closes sites and insists it is working closely with the regulator as Companies House shows accounts overdue by more than four months
InTouch Games has once again landed in hot water with the Gambling Commission (GC) as the regulator has suspended the multi-brand online casino’s operating licences as part of a review into the Birmingham-based business.
The GC will undertake a review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 after the GC confirmed it suspected the operator of failing to comply with licence conditions related to “money laundering, fair and transparent terms and practices and reporting key events”.
The licence suspension comes eight months after the regulator slapped InTouch Games with a £6.1m penalty over social responsibility and anti-money laundering (AML) failings.
Examples of shortcomings included allowing one customer to deposit £10,000 in 12 months without a source of funds check and failing to interact with one customer until seven weeks after they had been flagged due to erratic play.
The £6.1m penalty was the third regulatory action taken by the GC against the operator in four years.
In 2021, InTouch Games was handed a £3.4m fine over social responsibility, AML and marketing failings while in 2019 the operator paid a £2.2m settlement for similar regulatory failures.
InTouch Games operates 10 sites in the UK, including MrSpin, Cashmo and PocketWin.
The recent tumultuous period has been capped with the operator seemingly failing to submit its financial accounts in a timely manner.
According to Companies House, InTouch Games has yet to submit accounts made up to 29 July 2022, which were due to be submitted on 29 April 2023.
The latest accounts available are up to 31 July 2021 and were only submitted in June.
The GC said the licence suspension at this time, which covers InTouch Games’ online casino, bingo and gambling software licences, should not prevent customers from accessing their accounts and withdrawing funds.
The GC said: “We have made it clear to the operator that during the course of the suspension we expect it to focus on treating consumers fairly and keeping them fully informed of any developments which impact them.”
A statement on a selection of InTouch Games’ sites reads: “We are sorry that we have had to temporarily close this website due to suspension on our operating licence with the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. This means that you cannot play any games or deposit funds.
“We are working closely with the UKGC to get the site reactivated and we will provide regular updates for our customers.
“In the meantime, please be assured that your deposits remain safeguarded and are available to withdraw, if you wish to.”
So far in 2023, the GC has announced a total of 13 enforcement actions, with fines or settlements totalling more than £40m.